Opportunity, security and less discrimination. Jobs were more readily available to blacks in the North, and they were often paid the same wages as whites -- something that just didn't happen in the South. The South was still largely rural, and few opportunities existed for anyone who did…n't own land. Under the Sharecropping system, a black farmer gave 50% of his crop to the white owner. Often, he also had to buy supplies at inflated prices from a white-owned store, and pay interest on those purchases. \\. \\There was racism in the North and West, but it was not as severe as in the South. For example, there were no Jim Crow laws stating that certain bathrooms or water fountains were "white only." During the early 20th century, many, many blacks in the South were lynched (Like Emmett Till) for trivial offenses, imagined offenses, or even in some cases, for crimes actually committed by whites.